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F. S. MEAD. GAS 0R OIL ENGINE.

Patnted May. 4, las'.

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FRANK S. MEAD, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

GAS oe OIL'ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,073, dated May 4,189'?. Application tiled September 23, i895.` Serial No. 553,450. (Nomodel.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, t may concern: l

Be it known that I, FRANK S. MEAD, a citizen of the United States, atpresent residing at Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion ofCanada, have invented a new and Improved Gas or Oil Engine, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

Theobject of the invention is to provide a new and improved gas or oilengine wherein the explosive mixture is properly prepared and deliveredto the working cylinder in such condition and manner as to secure thebest results both as to the efficiency and economy of the engine.

The invention consists of certain parte and details and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described hereinafter,and then pointed out inthe claims.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is asectional plan view of the vaporizing-chamber. Fig. 3 is a similar viewof a modified form of the same, and Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevationof a modified form of pump for feeding the fuel in a liquid state. l

The improved gas or oil engine is provided `with a working cylinder A,in which operates a piston B, extending with its lower end into theenlarged end A of the cylinder to form an inlet-chamber with the same.The piston B is hollow and is provided in its upper end with aspring-pressed valve B to permit air compressed in the chamber A formedby the engine-casing, to pass into the working cylinder A, the saidcompressed-air chamber A deriving its supply through a valve B2 in thepiston B from the air-inlet chamber A2, connected by a port As with theoutside. The piston B is connected by a pitman C and crank-arm Dl with amain driving-shaft D, carrying' a iiy-wheel E, in which is arranged agovernor, preferably of the construction shown in the Letters Patent ofthe United States No. 545,709, granted to me September 3, 1895, for agas-engine. On the shaft D is also secured a pulley F for transmittingthe power of the engine to other machinery. An eccentric G on the saidshaft D is connected with a pump H, containing a piston-valve I, and ofa construction fully shown and described in the Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 544,586, granted to me August 13, 1895, on a gas oroil engine.

The working cylinder A is connected with the pump H by aport a,containing a checkvalve at', so that the explosive mixture can pass fromthe pump Htc the interior of the cylinder after the said mixture iscompressed to a suitable extent and at the time the port I in the valveI registers with the said port ct. The pump H is connected by a pipe J,contai` 'ng a check-valve J with a vaporizingchamber K, surrounded by ashell L, connected with an exhaust-port b in the lower part of theworking cylinder A. The upper end of the shellL is provided with anexhaustpipe L', leading to the outside. The vaporizing chamber K may beconstructed in cylindrical form, as shown in Fig. 2, or maybe providedwith interior and exterior projec-,

tions K and K2, as shown in Fig. 3, to increase the heating capacity ofthe chamber.

On the bottom of the vaporizing-chamber K is arranged a spraying deviceN, formed with a bellshaped opening i leading to the bottom of thevaporiZing-chamber K, and into this opening N lead the two channels N2and N3, both controlled by a valve N4 and connected with pipes O and O.A waterjacket N5 is arranged in the spraying ldevice N to keep thelatter comparatively cool. The pipe O extends into the oil-supply tank Pand the pipe O connects with an air-pipe Q, leading to the top of thesaid tank P, the said pipe Q being connected with the compressionchamberA and containing a check-valve Q.

The operation is as follows: When the piston B is in the lowermostposition, as illustrated in Fig. l, then the working cylinder A isfilled withpure air derived from the compression-chamber A' through thevalve B in the piston B. Now when the shaft D is turned the piston Brises to close the exhaustport h, immediately after which the pump I-Idischarges, by way of the port Ct and checkvalve ct', a suitable amountof fuel in the form of vapor into the upper end of the cylinder A, andasthe piston continues to rise therein the said vapor and compressed airare mixed in the cylinder. At the time the piston B has completed itsupstroke and is starting on its downstroke ignition of the explosivemixture takes place, so as to drive the IOO piston B downward with theforce of the explosive. As the piston B again rises it draws air intothe compression-chamber A by way of the check-valve B2 from the chamberA2, and when the piston descends this air is compressed and part of theair passes through the check-valve B into the cylinder A after thel saidpiston B has uncovered the exhaustport b and the cylinder A is relievedof the 1o pressure, and consequently the compressed air can readily passthrough the valve B into the workin g cylinder A to drive out thev*/burned gases through the port Z) and lill the cylinder with pure airfor the next charge. The pump I-I draws the vapor from thevaporizing-chamber K on the downstroke of the piston-valve I, and on theupstroke of the latter it slightly compresses the vapor until it nearlyreaches its uppermost position, at 2o which time the port I registerswith the port a and with a longitudinal groove h in the wall of the pumpand the contents of the pump-cylinder rush into the upper end of theworking cylinder A by way of the port a and 2 5 the check-valve a. Thecentrifugal governor (not shown, but contained in the fly-wheel E)regulates the amount of vapor passing to the power-cylinder according tothe amount of work done by the engine, the regulation 3o taking place bythe governor varying the stroke of the piston-valve I. Part of thecompressed air in `the chamber A' passes through the pipe Q into theoil-supply tank P and by the branch pipe O into the channel N3 3 5 todeliver a quantity of compressed air at the opening Nl and spray the oilforced through the pipe O by the pressure of the air in the tank P inthe said opening N', and the mixture passes into the vaporizing-chamberK, 4o heated by the exhaust-gases passing from the exhaust-port b intothe shell L, containing the said chamber K.

As the chamber A' is connected with the tank P and thevaporizing-chamber K, a uniform pressure exists in all three, andconsequently when any amount of vapor is passed from thevaporizing-chamber K by the pump II to the working cylinder A then thepressure in the vaporizing-chamber K is relieved and 5o the air and oilin the spraying device N at once enter the said chamber in the form of aspray, and the supply of spray is therefore regulated by the amount ofvapor consumed by the engine. In starting the engine thevaporizingchamber K is first heated bya lamp or other convenient means,after which it is kept hot by the exhaust or burned gases from theengine, as previously described. The pipe Q may be omitted, so that nocompressed air is 6o in the oil-tank P, but in this case the oil and airare drawn into the vaporizer in the form of a spray by the directsuction of the pistonvalve I in the pump I-I. The water-jacket N5 in thespraying device keeps the latter sufficiently cool to prevent gumming ofthe oil in the small channel N2 and opening N. Vhen it is desired todeliver the fuel to the vaporizing chamber or cylinder in a fluidcondition, I prefer to employ the pump shown in Fig. 4. The plunger 71:of this pump, as shown, is at the outer end of its stroke when thebarrel of the pump is filled with oil or naphtha, and on its returnstroke thesprin gpressed piston r is forced up against the spring suntil the ,groove o, cut in the pumpplunger, has uncovered the port p2,so as to open communication between the pump-barrel and vaporizingchamber or cylinder, as the case may be. The piston r is then forceddown by the spring s, thus suddenly discharging the contents of thepump-barrel by way of the side passage or channel p, the groove o, andthe port p2. The pump-plunger then recedes so as to close the port p2and draw in through the valv'ed pipe another supply of the liquid. Theside passage or channel in the pump-barrel may be replaced by a passagethrough the end of the piston, as shown in dotted lines in said ligure,the said passage.

communicating between' the face of the spring-pressed piston r and thegroove or cross-passage o in the pump-plunger. It is possible in thisengine and at times even dcsirable to omit the gas or vapor pump and usein its stead a valve. In this case the action is as follows: Thevaporizing-chamber K is supplied through the spraying device N withcompressed air from the pressure-chamber A and a relative pressure isnormally maintained in the vaporiZing-chamber, and after theexhaust-port b in the cylinder has been closed and before compressionbegins the piston-valve I between the cylinder and vaporiZing-chamberopens to allow the contents of the said vaporizing-chamber to enter thepower-cylinder. This furnishes the fuel to the power-cylinder and at thesame time relieves the pressure in the vaporizing-chamber and therebycauses a new supply of oil and air to enter the said chamber through thespraying device until the pressure therein is again brought to that ofthe pressure in the chamber AC Having thus fully described my invention,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a gas or oilengine, a power-cylinder, a working piston, an air-compression chamber,an oil-supply tank, a connection from the working cylinder to thecompressionchamber, an independent connection from the working cylinderto the oil-supply tank, and a third connection from thecompressionchamber to the oil-supply tank, substantially as described.

2. An oil-pump, comprising a pump-barrel having an inlet and an outlet,a plunger controlling said outlet, an independent piston arranged at theopposite end of the barrel to the plunger, and a spring bearing againstthe barrel at one end and against the piston at the other end, saidpiston being adapted to be pushed by the plunger through theintermediary of the contents of the pump-barrel IIO until the outlet isopened, when the said piston is driven by its spring and eXpels thecontents of the pump-barrel, substantially as described.

3. An oil-pump, comprising a pump-barrel having an inlet and an outlet,a plunger in said barrel, an independent piston arranged at the oppositeend of the barrel to the plunger, and a spring one end whereof bearsagainst the barrel and the other against the piston, said piston beingadapted to be pushed by the plunger through the intermediary of thecontents of the pump-barrel until the outlet is opened, when the saidpiston is driven by its spring and .eXpels the contents of thepump-barrel, substantially as described.

4. In a gas or oil engine, an oil-pump having an independentspringfpressed piston, and a plunger with a cross passage or groove, anexit-port at the side of the pump, and a channel in the side of thepump-barrel cxtending from the face of said independentpiston to a pointopposite the said exit-port, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a gas or oil engine7 an oil-pu1np having an independentspring-pressed piston, a plunger With a cross passage or groove and achannel through the end of said plunger establishing free communicationbetween the pump-barrel beyond the end of said plunger and the saidcross passage or groove, substantially as shown and described.

6. 4In a gas or oil engine, a power-cylinder, a Working piston7 anair-compression chainber, a spraying device, a connection from theWorking cylinder to the compression-chamber, an independent connectionfrom the Working cylinder to the spraying device, a

connection from the oil-supply tank to the spraying device, and aconnection from the air-co1npression chamber to the oil-supply tank toforce the oil to the spraying device by air-pressure, substantially asdescribed.

'7. In a gas or oil engine, a power-cylinder, a Working piston., anair-compression chamber, a spraying device, a connection from theWorking cylinder to the compressionchamber, an independent connectionfrom the Working cylinder to the spraying device, a connection from theoil-supply tank to the spraying device, a direct connection from theair-compression chamber to the spraying device to supply the latter withcompressed air, and a connection from the air-compression chamber to theoil-supply tank to force the oil to the spraying device by air-pressure,substantially as described.

S. In a gas or oil engine, a power-cylinder, a Workin g piston therein,an air-compression chamber, a vaporizer connected to the Workingcylinder, anindependent connection from the Working cylinder to thecompression chamber, an oil-inlet to the vaporizer, the latter beingclosed to the atmosphere so as to be capable of holding the vapor undera pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, and a connection from theair-compression chamber to the vaporizer, substantially as described.

FRANK S.' MEAD.

Witnesses:

LEWIS P. MEAD, P. GORMAN.

